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Arpaio: Trump's First Two Years Put Him on Path To Becoming One of Greatest Presidents

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President Donald Trump has fulfilled many of his campaign promises and has every right to be proud of his accomplishments after two years in office.

I supported him from day one in July 2015 at a rally in Phoenix and predicted he would be the next president then.

I subsequently predicted he would go down as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.

When you look at the promises made and kept to date, it is a strong record.

The economy is roaring along with record low unemployment numbers in every major demographic group.

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Last week, unemployment claims dropped to their lowest level since 1969. That’s impressive, given the country has 120 million more people now.

Trump has done right by our nation’s veterans too, of which I am one, by bringing badly needed reforms to the Veterans Administration.

He signed the VA Accountability Act that allows substandard employees to be fired and the VA Choice Act, which gives veterans the option to go to private medical providers when they can’t get in to see a VA doctor.

I know for a fact that President Trump supports our law enforcement officers, which I appreciate as someone who served for 55 years.

Do you think Trump is making America great again?

When I spoke at the Republican National Convention in prime-time in July 2016, I said that then-candidate Trump would “build the wall and restore law and order, and keep drugs and illegal immigrants from entering the country with or without further help from of Congress.”

He’s done more to secure the border than any president I’ve seen, including when he shut down the government over the issue.

With funds already appropriated, the administration is moving forward with miles of new barrier construction and upgrades in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

I know he will continue to fight with courage to finish the job.

The president said this week, “As commander-in-chief, my highest priority is the defense of our great country. We cannot surrender operational control over the nation’s borders to foreign cartels, traffickers, and smugglers.”

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“So let me be very clear,” he added. “We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security.”

Trump is the real deal.

Just to give a little insight into the man: I will never forget what he did for my wife Ava, who I’ve been married to for 61 years. In 2016, when both Trump and I were running for office, she was diagnosed with cancer.

Trump called my wife several times during the last two years to check in on her.

He did not have to be kind to get my support, he already had it. Trump did it because he is a good man. We were able to report she received a clean bill of health last May.

Recently, I said on national television that it took me 75 years to find my hero, and that was President Trump.

Here’s to six more years. I know President Trump won’t surrender until he completes his mission to Make America Great Again!

The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.

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Known as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” Joe Arpaio had a long and decorated career in law enforcement before being elected sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, in 1992. He is now a Special Contributor to The Western Journal.
Known as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” Joe Arpaio had a long and decorated career in law enforcement before being elected to Sheriff of Maricopa County in 1992.

After serving in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1953, and as a Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, NV, police officer, Arpaio went on to build a law enforcement career as a federal narcotics agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). For almost a decade, Arpaio was stationed in foreign countries where he headed the DEA combatting the drug trade in which, even by today’s standards, are highly volatile and dangerous in Turkey, the Middle East, Mexico and Central and South America. He was also a diplomatic attaché. In his last years with the DEA, Arpaio also gained invaluable expertise on border issues and enforcement as the head of the DEA in the border states of Arizona and Texas. He concluded his remarkable federal career as head of the DEA for Arizona.

In 1992, Arpaio successfully campaigned to become the Sheriff of Maricopa County, becoming the head of the nation’s third largest Sheriff’s Office which employs over 3,400 people. He served an unprecedented six 4-year terms. During his tenure as Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arpaio consistently earned high public approval ratings.

In August, 1993, he started the nation’s largest Tent City for convicted inmates. Two thousand convicted men and women serve their sentences in a canvas incarceration compound. It was here that Arpaio launched his get-tough policies for inmates. He banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines, and unrestricted TV in all jails. It is a remarkable success story that has attracted the attention of government officials, presidential candidates, and media worldwide.

Of equal success and notoriety were his chain gangs, which contributed thousands of dollars of free labor to the community by picking up litter, painting over graffiti and burying the indigent in the county cemetery.

Another program Arpaio was very well known for is the pink underwear he made all inmates wear. Years ago, when the Sheriff learned that inmates were stealing jailhouse white boxers, Arpaio had all inmate underwear dyed pink for better inventory control.

As chief law enforcement officer for the county, Arpaio continued to reduce crime with hard-hitting enforcement methods. He began an all-volunteer posse of 3,000 members, making it the nation’s largest volunteer posse. Posse men and women help in search and rescue and other traditional police work as well as in special operations like rounding up deadbeat parents, fighting prostitution, patrolling malls during holidays, and investigating animal cruelty complaints. The posse’s contributions are invaluable and essentially free to taxpayers.

In addition to these tough measures, the Sheriff launched rehabilitative programs like “Hard Knocks High,” the only accredited high school under a Sheriff in an American jail, and ALPHA, an anti-substance-abuse program that has greatly reduced recidivism.

He is now a Special Contributor to The Western Journal.

On a personal note, Sheriff Arpaio and his wife Ava have been married for over 56 years and have two children, both residing in the Phoenix area. The Arpaios have four grandchildren.
Birthplace
Massachusetts
Nationality
American
Topics of Expertise
Drug Enforcement, Law Enforcement, Politics




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